BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Little Hawk
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 09:52 PM

When I was in my 20's I sort of fell in love with a cousin of mine...but it never led to anything.

Damn good thing too. I saw her a few weeks ago, for the first time in many, many years...and all I can say is, I must have been out of my frikkin' mind!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 09:48 PM

"The change in gene mutation frequencies within a new, small, rapidly expanding population is called "random genetic drift," and it—not inbreeding or natural selection—is the major reason for the high incidence of specific recessive disorders in isolated human populations, including the Plain communities.

"Over the same period, genetic drift has also been at work within the U.S. general population. As a result, cystic fibrosis is a very common recessive disorder in the U.S. Caucasian population, but is absent in the Plain populations of Lancaster County. The carrier rate for this disorder is now 1 in 25 people, 4,000 per 100,000 in the general U.S. population." From the link

Interesting articles. Thanks.

When I was young and in the Amish church, I don't recall ever meeting any mentally damaged or undeveloped people. I do remember a midget; we kids were fascinated by her. She was actually shorter than I but I was 8 or 9 years old and she was in her 40s. She was in Oregon just a couple of years. She was from Ohio.

There was one girl, a girl I detested, who visited Oregon with her parents. I think they were from Michigan or Indiana. Her dad was a cousin of some kind of my father's and this little girl, a couple of years younger than I, was very unpleasant to be around.

I remember one day I was told to 'keep her company'; we went upstairs. The girl - I don't even remember her name - got into my brothers' things, rummaged through my closet and to top it off opened a sister's bottle of cologne and drank it. I was appalled, but being a polite numbskull in those days I only tentatively pleaded with her to leave things alone.

Too bad the cologne wasn't toxic.

I just remembered- the story was that the girl was the way she was because when her mother was pregnant with her she visited a zoo and watched the monkeys, forever making her a 'monkey girl'.

No one ever said that Amish are not superstitious!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 09:25 PM

Ok, so I checked the links and didn't notice the messed up italics. "Smithsonian" is the only word in the last post that's supposed to be in italics.

^%$!@#!!**

John

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 09:24 PM

Genetic Disorders Hit Amish Hard from 60 minutes June 8, 2005. – a quicky "pop" view.

Medical Sleuth from the February 2006 Smithsonian magazine may suggest how it may be quite important to recognize and accept that genetic factors can cause unusual happenings within a sequestered population.

Genetic Misconceptions is a response to reader comments on the February 2006 Smithsonian Magazine article, and may help in understanding why genetic expression peculiar to a specific population doesn't necessarily correlate to "inbreedin'."

John

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: GUEST, Ebbie
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 05:12 PM

And perhaps some things are less common here than elsewhere, Bert.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Bert
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 03:41 PM

Just about anything is more common than 'thought' in America.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Paul Burke
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 11:52 AM

That's because the diabetes gene would have to be in the population for inbreeding to concentrate it. You can more-or-less guarantee that an inbred population will have an excess of genetic problems, but each population will have a different set.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Ebbie
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 11:49 AM

The Amish, even though there are many thousands of them in the US, are fairly insular and for that reason quite inbred. (I'm not talking about siblings!) Marrying a person as closely related as second cousin is common and there are many more distant familial relationships. This has been repeated for generations.

The Amish have a number of health issues that stem from this but I have not heard of diabetes as being one of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: GUEST,Mingulay at work
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 08:42 AM

Mere contact with such an area will suffice, the inbreeding is not obligatory. I lived on the fringes of the Fens for many years (and a short time amingst them)and I am now diabetic, although my eyes are a reasonable distance apart and my feet haven't adapted themselves for walking on boggy ground (the toes are still seperate).

Retires in hail of sugar beet and brussel sprouts.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 08:41 AM

BBC story the guy is a politician! Even so - in this case I am tempted to trust his words.



Just a little.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 08:35 AM

he didn't retract on BBC R4 this morning - he apologised for upsetting people. He stated unequivocally that there is a gene strongly implicated in diabetes that is common in East Anglia and he warned those that had it to be aware of their lifestyle - particualrly diet - and hedge their bets by eating accordingly. If he retracted that he was not being professional. Sound advice if you ask me.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 08:05 AM

A farmer friend of mine had to cancel his wedding 20odd years ago when he discovered that his bride to be was his half sister.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: skipy
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 06:59 AM

Dr Gibson has retracted his statement. See bbd front page (google)
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Folkiedave
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 06:36 AM

Half the population in some villages can be traced back to a great-grandfather with a roving eye and a bicycle!

Believed to be Sid Kipper.

Anyway the family that lays together stays together.

A (believed apocryphal) story around here has the father of the son of an about-to-be-wed couple asking the father of the daughter if he has slept with her.

On the answer "Certainly not", the father says "Well if she is not good enough for your family, she's certainly not good enough for ours".

How did we get into this?

I'll get mi coat.

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 06:13 AM

"Incest more common than thought in America"

Nice double-entendre.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: skipy
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 05:01 AM

Look on the war memorials of some of isolated villages, you will often see only 3 or 4 names representing our dead, but several differant initials for each. Lets be honest a long hard day in the fields or down the mine followed by a 10 mile cycle ride to the next village (& back) and you had to be back at work by 6am, you can see why they targeted their cousins!
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: jonm
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 04:26 AM

Norfolk is little more than a gene puddle.

Half the population in some villages can be traced back to a great-grandfather with a roving eye and a bicycle!

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 04:18 AM

LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Paul Burke
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 04:08 AM

(1) 'ducks' is the opposite of 'runs', and cover is a bad place to get runs.
(2) INSECTS are certainly more common in America, especially in Washington.
(3) We used to call making your own amusements a virtue.
(4) the family that sleeps together keeps together.

Subject: BS: Diabetes linked to inbreeding in........
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 03:56 AM

Sorry East Anglia - the high ranking doctor (probably a geneticist) had to apologise for pointing this out. He did not apologise for the truth of it - citing Norfolk in particular. And as he said - the term inbreeding is the correct technical term but encompasses a wider concept than the public have of it - hence the umbrage.

And just to even up the umbrage dare I repeat an old newspaper headline - well quoted -

"Incest more common than thought in America"

ducks and runs for cover.